purpose the theatre served in Elizabethan England?

• Social:

  Propaganda:

  > Plays would often show Elizabeth in a positive light.
• Social:

  Propaganda:

  > Shakespeare’s plays always flattered Elizabeth (e.g. The Twelfth Night) and supported the Tudor dynasty (e.g. Richard III).
• Social:

  Social distraction:

  > Theatre was accessible to all classes (as tickets were cheap) thus providing a source of distraction to the lower classes from their struggles.
• Social:

  Social distraction:

  > The cheapest ticket cost one penny and was for the ‘pit’ or the ‘yard’ where you would stand in noisy and smelly conditions exposed to the weather.
• Social:

  Social distraction:

  > By 1595 over 15,000 people a week were attending plays being performed in London theatres.
• Ideas:

  To reinforce the social hierarchy (Great Chain of Being):

  > Theatre reinforced the social hierarchy in England (Great Chain of Being) and encouraged social stability. People were sat in different places in the audience based on their status.
• Ideas:

  To reinforce the social hierarchy (Great Chain of Being):

  > For two or three pennies they could watch from the three-tiered galleries which had seats and was protected from the weather.